Ryan Blaney rolls off the pole for the Iowa Corn 350 on Sunday afternoon, and the betting market has fallen in behind him. The Team Penske driver won the 2024 inaugural Cup race at Iowa Speedway, and he backed it up by claiming the top starting spot for today’s 350-lap run around the 0.875-mile oval.
That combination has moved him to the front of the odds board at +200. Our headline pick sides with the pole-sitter, but the short price leaves room for value further down the list, and both prior Cup races at Iowa were decided by fuel strategy rather than raw speed. Below we break down the full board, our picks, and how race day could unfold.
Last Updated: Sunday, August 9, 2026
Iowa Corn 350 — Time & How to Watch
| Where | Iowa Speedway, Newton, IA |
| When | Sunday, August 9 – 3:30 PM ET |
| TV | USA Network |
2026 NASCAR Iowa Corn 350 Betting Preview
Blaney put the No. 12 Team Penske Ford on the pole with a lap of 134.191 mph, edging Kyle Larson and Joey Logano at the top of the grid. Brad Keselowski qualified fourth despite a spin late in his run, and Tyler Reddick rounded out the top five. Ty Gibbs, Austin Dillon, Connor Zilisch, Ross Chastain and Erik Jones filled out the top 10 starters. It is a fast, front-loaded grid, and track position matters at a place this tight.
The bigger story sits deeper in the field. Championship points leader Denny Hamlin qualified 29th after brake trouble in practice, and he will have work to do from the middle of the pack. He is not alone back there. Chase Elliott starts 32nd, Alex Bowman lines up 30th, and William Byron, last year’s winner, rolls off 19th. With several of the strongest cars starting well outside the top 10, restarts and pit strategy loom large over the 350-lap distance. The board has shifted since our earlier Iowa Corn 350 odds preview, with Blaney taking over the top line from Hamlin once qualifying set the grid.
2026 NASCAR Iowa Corn 350 — Top Odds to Win
| Name | Odds |
|---|---|
| Ryan Blaney | +200 |
| Christopher Bell | +550 |
| Joey Logano | +750 |
| Denny Hamlin | +900 |
| Kyle Larson | +900 |
| Ty Gibbs | +900 |
| William Byron | +1200 |
| Chase Briscoe | +1600 |
| Tyler Reddick | +1800 |
| Ross Chastain | +2000 |
Odds accurate as of Sunday, August 9, 2026 via TheSpread.com. Odds change, get the latest NASCAR Odds – Props
2026 Iowa Corn 350 Top Pick to Win — Ryan Blaney
The Pick: Ryan Blaney to win (+200)
Blaney checks the boxes you want at Iowa. He is the only driver in the field who has won a Cup race here, taking the inaugural event in 2024, and he starts from the pole today. His two Cup starts at Iowa have both produced strong runs, so this is not a case of a fast qualifier without race-day pedigree. From the front row he controls clean air early, and clean air is worth real time on a 0.875-mile track where passing is difficult once the field spreads out.
The case against is the price and the track’s history. At +200 the implied probability sits near 33 percent, which is a lot to ask of any driver in a 38-car field. More to the point, both prior Cup races at Iowa were settled by fuel mileage. Byron stretched his tank to beat Chase Briscoe last August, and strategy trumped speed in 2024 as well. Leading laps from the pole does not guarantee track position at the finish when the closing run turns into a fuel gamble. Blaney is the right favorite, but bettors are paying a premium for a starting spot that a caution-filled, strategy-driven race can erase.
The counter is that Blaney has led more laps at this track than anyone in the field and has the crew to execute a long green-flag run. If the race stays green late, his speed advantage decides it rather than a coin flip on fuel. That is the outcome this pick is banking on.
Value Play — Chase Briscoe
The Pick: Chase Briscoe to win (+1600)
Briscoe is the most interesting name in the middle of the board. He finished second in last year’s Iowa Corn 350 and led 81 laps in the process, so the speed at this track is proven, not projected. A driver who ran the eventual winner to the line twelve months ago should not be sitting at +1600 unless the market is leaning entirely on his qualifying position and recent results. That gap between demonstrated track pace and price is where value lives.
The other side is fair. Briscoe still has to prove he can close at Iowa after coming up just short a year ago, and he starts outside the front rows. The upside is that his ceiling here is a race win, and at 16-to-1 the reward matches the risk far better than the chalk does.
Race Day Outlook — Final Thoughts and Additional Picks to Consider
Fuel strategy is the throughline at Iowa. Both Cup races here came down to a team’s ability to stretch a tank over the final run, and that history should shape how you watch Sunday. Expect at least one contender to gamble on saving fuel late. Restarts matter too. On a short, flat oval the top lane can stall, so where a driver lines up on the final restart can decide the race as much as long-run speed does.
That backdrop makes the deep-starting group worth tracking. Hamlin, Byron, Bowman and Elliott all have winning speed and all start outside the top 15, and tire fall-off on Iowa’s abrasive surface can help those cars carve forward. For a longer-priced flier, Tyler Reddick (+1800) starts fifth and has the raw pace to contend. The case against him is consistency. His results have swung between contention and trouble this season, and Iowa’s fuel-mileage history only adds variance. He is a small-stakes swing, not a core play.
To recap our picks for the 2026 Iowa Corn 350: Ryan Blaney to win (+200) is the top play from the pole, Chase Briscoe to win (+1600) is the value on a proven Iowa runner, and Tyler Reddick to win (+1800) is the longshot flier. Each can be undone by a fuel gamble, so stake them accordingly and watch the pit windows in the final third.
2026 Iowa Corn 350 Betting FAQ
Who is the favorite to win the Iowa Corn 350?
Ryan Blaney is the favorite at +200. He won the pole for Sunday’s race and is the only driver in the field with a Cup victory at Iowa Speedway, having won the inaugural race there in 2024.
When is the Iowa Corn 350?
The 2026 Iowa Corn 350 is scheduled for Sunday, August 9, 2026, with the green flag set for 3:30 PM ET at Iowa Speedway in Newton, Iowa.
What channel is the Iowa Corn 350 on?
The 2026 Iowa Corn 350 will be broadcast on USA Network.
Who is on the pole for the Iowa Corn 350?
Ryan Blaney won the pole in the No. 12 Team Penske Ford with a lap of 134.191 mph. Kyle Larson and Joey Logano start second and third.
Who won the Iowa Corn 350 last year?
William Byron won the 2025 Iowa Corn 350, stretching his fuel over the closing run to beat Chase Briscoe by 1.192 seconds.
How many laps is the Iowa Corn 350?
The Iowa Corn 350 runs 350 laps around the 0.875-mile Iowa Speedway, a total of 306.25 miles.